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Butt out: AWARE Simcoe tells premier to stay out of Springwater election

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In Agriculture
Oct 7th, 2014
3 Comments
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Blatant attempt to influence local electors in small rural township

AWARE Simcoe news release

Premier Kathleen Wynne should not be intervening in a local municipal election, says AWARE Simcoe chair Don Morgan. Her announcement yesterday that she does not plan to review the Midhurst Secondary Plan or the Special Rule represents a blatant attempt to influence local electors in a small rural township.

The Midhurst Secondary Plan will expand Midhurst from 3.500 people to 30,000 and violates provincial policies to control sprawl. The Liberal government brought in the Special Rule to set aside those policies, just for Midhurst.

“Premier Wynne should just butt out,” Morgan said. “The Midhurst Secondary Plan is a key issue in a historic municipal election for Springwater Township and it is totally inappropriate for the premier to attempt to influence the outcome. Let voters decide without outside pressure which candidates’ position represents the township’s best interests.”

Noting that Wynne’s letter states that she does not “plan” for a review, Morgan expressed confidence that if Springwater speaks with a clear voice, the province will respond to the will of the people and “plans” will change.

Morgan dismissed those who insist that legislation like the Special Rule, or decisions like those handed down by the Ontario Municipal Board, are written in stone and cannot be changed.

The history of government is one in which legislation is continually changed, Morgan said. That’s how slavery was abolished and women won the vote. That’s how Site 41 was approved in the 1990s despite a Joint Board decision against it. And that’s how it was unapproved, and lost its certificate of approval in 2010 and can no longer be a dump site.

“If Premier Wynne wants to be part of the election in Springwater, let her come here and debate the issues,” Morgan added. “Unfortunately the candidates who feel vindicated by her announcement refused yesterday to defend their policies in a public forum.”

Hours after the premier’s announcement was made public, three candidates who have been vocal apologists for the MSP failed to show up at a packed all-candidates’ meeting at the Snow Valley Ski Resort. Tony Guergis, Linda Collins and Dan McLean, the first two running for mayor, the other for deputy mayor, sent a representative to make a brief statement on their behalf.

“The statement made by Brenda Stanley was malicious nonsense, a series of blatant lies about our organization, ” Morgan said. “We chose not to respond to it at the meeting because we wanted the focus to remain on the candidates. Suffice it to say that we made every effort to provide for respectful, open debate – and that’s what happened.”

Morgan added that all are invited to the next all-candidates’ meeting, to be held on Wednesday October 15 in Midhurst.

3 Responses to “Butt out: AWARE Simcoe tells premier to stay out of Springwater election”

  1. Ann Spence says:

    I was present at the All Candidates |Meeting at Snow Valley last night. As the crowd was leaving I spoke with several of them and the general comment seemed to be “If the candidates be bothered to appear at this meeting,” the speaker said “then I can’t be bothered voting for them”.

  2. gary h rideout says:

    when I swim in the Georgian Bay I appreciate it and I always wonder how “they” will screw it up..i thought it would be fracking but this Midhurst secondary plan to forever lose rich Ontario farm land and pour effluent into willow Creek,then into the minesing wetlands which in turn feeds the mad,pine,boyne and nottawasaga rivers without proper planning and concern for the environment is insane. I’ve heard it referred to as the most stupid plan and this effluent from over 10 thousand homes and 30 thousand people going up the nottawasaga river to the beaches at wasaga seems to be absolute contempt for our environment.

  3. Ann says:

    I have lost all my respect for Premier Kathleen Wynne now, after her blatant interference in the Springwater municipal election. There is no excuse for what’s she’s done, and it’s utterly shameful!

    Now that she has told the present Council that she has no plans to review the MSP or the ‘Special Rule’ ..it should give the Springwater voters even more reason to get out and vote for a new council who will not let her go back on her promise!!

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